'Joint Exercise Without Verification of Wartime Operational Control Transfer' Ends Today

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, which began on the 8th, will conclude on the 18th. This year's first half training did not include outdoor field maneuvers due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to military officials on the day, the South Korea-U.S. combined command post training (21-1 CCPT), conducted in two phases since the 8th, will be completed this afternoon. The South Korean and U.S. military authorities are reportedly planning to hold a post-exercise debriefing on the results of this training on the 19th.

This exercise was conducted using computer simulation methods, continuing from last year. As the scale and duration of the joint exercise were reduced, it is known that South Korean personnel used the command post inside the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The Joint Chiefs of Staff personnel did not move to the B1 bunker within the Capital Defense Command, which they usually use during South Korea-U.S. exercises. This measure was taken to prevent COVID-19 infection during the training period. However, some have pointed out that not conducting the exercise in the optimal location assuming wartime conditions could cause various problems.

Following the second half of last year's training, the full operational capability (FOC) verification of the future combined command for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) was not conducted again due to the COVID-19 situation. Instead, the exercise included some theater operation rehearsals led by the future combined command commanded by a South Korean general.

It is known that South Korea and the U.S. will discuss conducting the FOC verification exercise during the second half joint exercise. However, a Ministry of National Defense official stated that there was no mention of the second half joint exercise during the recent South Korea-U.S. defense ministers' meeting.

If the COVID-19 situation does not improve by the time the second half exercise is held around August, it is highly likely that the FOC verification will not be conducted, making further delays in the OPCON transfer process inevitable. The U.S. side has already been vaccinating U.S. Forces Korea personnel since the end of last year, and South Korean soldiers are expected to start receiving vaccines from around June, so the future COVID-19 situation and vaccination speed are expected to have an impact.

Meanwhile, regarding the OPCON transfer, the Ministry of National Defense stated that during the bilateral talks between the South Korea-U.S. defense ministers the day before, they noted the significant progress made through joint efforts since the 2006 agreement on OPCON transfer and reaffirmed the conditional OPCON transfer plan. The ministry explained, "Based on this progress, the two ministers agreed to continue efforts toward the OPCON transfer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.